Will Burgers and Fries Make You Depressed?

Say it ain't so! Burgers and fries might bring you short term happiness of fatty, delicious goodness. However, in the long term, eating junk foods could make you more depressed. New research has found that the link between diet and mood is very real. Unfortunately, it's mostly those guilty pleasure junk foods that are the culprits of affecting your mood negatively.

In response to this new research, the U.S. Department of Defense has begun a trial where they give nutrient-rich food to veterans in an attempt to reduce suicides of former soldiers. The idea that food affects mood isn't even new. Back in 2010, Dr. Felice Jacka and her team published a study that found that the Western diet of processed, fried and sugar-filled foods increased the chances of depression and anxiety in women. It's also unsurprising that the U.S. consumes more calories daily than any other country in the world.

Dr. Jacka plans to take her study further. She intends to work with volunteers diagnosed with depression. Dr. Jacka wants to encourage her subject to eat more fruits, veggies, olive oil, raw nuts, oily fish and whole grains and less red meat, dairy and processed foods. BBC News reports that Jacka and her team will use blood tests to more firmly establish the link between food and mood.

This is not the first time scientists have discovered a link between what you eat and how you feel. A recent study found that eating fish helped to reduce the risk of depression in women.

Watch the video above to learn about how burgers and fries could make you depressed.